Piano chords · Rock drive
How to play What A Wonderful World on piano
- F major
- 4/4
- 60 BPM
- 1967
- Medium
Play the full song with sheet music
Learn What A Wonderful World in 5 steps
The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.
- 1
Chords: Db – C7 – F – Gm7 – C
How it goes
What A Wonderful World sits in F major: F is home, where the song ends. It goes round 5 chords: Db is Db, F and Ab; C7 is C, E, G and Bb; F is F, A and C; Gm7 is G, Bb, D and F; C is C, E and G. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
DbbVIC7V7FIGm7ii7CV- DbDb · F · Ab
- C7C · E · G · Bb
- FF · A · C
- Gm7G · Bb · D · F
- CC · E · G
- 2
Left hand: Giant steps
How it goes
A full chord on every beat, low and heavy, like a giant walking. Musicians call it lh chords (left-hand chords), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
- 3
Right hand: Ticking clock
How it goes
One high note repeated on every quick beat: tick, tick, tick. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
- 4
Both hands at 60 BPM
How it goes
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
- 5
Ending: F – Gm – F
How it goes
The last chords are I – ii – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
FGmF- GmG · Bb · D
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Questions about What A Wonderful World
What chords are in What A Wonderful World?
The loop is Db – C7 – F – Gm7 – C (bVI – V7 – I – ii7 – V) in F major, and the song ends on F – Gm – F.
What key is What A Wonderful World in?
F major, at about 60 beats a minute in 4/4.
What does the left hand play in What A Wonderful World?
Giant steps: lh chords, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.
Is What A Wonderful World easy to play on piano?
It is a medium one: learn the 5 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.
Can I hear the real melody of What A Wonderful World?
Yes: "The part you know" plays the main tune of the song from a score, with both hands.
Made from 6 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.